From End to End: Begin
by Paya
Summary: They've questioned the source of evil and the fate of the Moon Kingdom, but they've never questioned why they were chosen to be the Soldiers, or how the next ones would be discovered...


From End to End

By Paya

princess_kagua@hotmail.com

                Please forgive me for my inability to remember Chad's real name in Japanese—I can't find it!  I do not claim the characters of Sailor Moon for my own, I'm just using them in my own and others' entertainment.  I hope you enjoy!  Please feel free to tell me what you think!  http://www.geocities.com/selphie_kisaragi_16/index.html 

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                As the breeze caressed the petals of the cherry blossoms, it carried the fragrant scent through the air colored peach by the setting sun.  It continued on its way until it came to pass the jeweled sword tied to a yellow sash where the sharp edge hummed as it sliced the wind.  The hum was a song for her ears, the Warrior of the Skies, and sang a melody that only she could understand.  The lyrics spoke of a shift in the movements of the clouds that were now heavy and foreboding.  Haruka tied the yellow sash around her right shoulder and across her chest so that her Talisman, the studded saber, rested flat against her back.

                Michiru stood by her side, inhaling the lovely scent.  She received no pleasure from the usually pleasant action, however, for it seemed only a perfume that attempted to mask the salts of the sea riding in the wind.   The Warrior of the Sea lifted her mirror, seeing her own reflection in its pool.  It rippled.  Michiru blinked, knowing that it was not a trick of the eye, yet not able to decipher the message.  A warning, perhaps?  She looked out to the crimson sea, colored by the wan of day, for guidance, but only reserve met her questions.

                _Death summons_.  Came a quiet voice behind the pair.  Haruka and Michiru turned around to face the Guardian of Time, Setsuna.  She was dressed in a purple kimono with sashes the color of burnt wood, her forest-green hair not shifting with the wind.  _Death summons on New Year's night.  Will you attend?  _Setsuna's ruby eyes studied them in their response before she faded away.

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                "I saw Haruka's convertible today," announced Minako.  They were all crowded into Makoto's kitchen frosting a final batch of sugar cookies, with the single exception of Rei.  Usagi had stirred together the sugar cookie dough for Christmas and had left it in the refrigerator on accident, so they were finishing it off as a snack for the 2003 fireworks show that night.  "It was parked near the college.  Do you think that she'll come?  And Michiru and Setsuna?  I've missed them."  Minako continued.  "It's been a long time."

                Ami raised a mittened hand, concealing her inquiring finger.  "Not to mention Rei who, oddly enough, is late without contact."  She heard the mischievous giggle behind her and looked over her shoulder at Usagi.  She had vanilla frosting on her spatula and was plopping it onto an angle-shaped cookie before biting it and putting on another glob. 

                "It's her own loss!" Usagi retorted the concern that Ami voiced.  "These cookies are wonderful and she'll be too late to have had the privilege of frosting or eating them!"  She laughed with the cookie on her tongue.

                "Don't do that, now, Usagi," Makoto warned.  "You'll get sick to your stomach if you eat them like that!  And we will save some for Rei.  You may count the time of her absence, but don't take her cookies."  She winked.  "Besides, don't you want her to taste them?  They may be the only ones you've ever done right_."  She probly didn't even do them_.  Makoto blinked at the harsh remark in her head.

                Usagi stuck out a quivering lip.  "Are you saying I'm a bad cook?" _Some friend you are…_  For some reason, she felt as if an emotional sore spot had been struck.  Her attempts to smile and take the sting out of the counter comment failed.

                "Oh, come on, Usagi."  _Give us a break…!_ Makoto waved a spatula of blue icing in her direction.  "It's not like a news flash or anything."  _As if you watch the news anyway._  Makoto tried, but she could not meet Usagi's eyes in a teasing manner, nor put a teasing tone to her voice.

                Usagi felt as if she may have well been slapped.  This had been said before—why did it hurt so much?  "Ami?"  She heard herself asking.  Ami merely offered her a menacing look before returning to her icing.

                _What's going on so suddenly?_

                Usagi let the things in her hands slide to the linoleum floor while turning and heading to the door—before they could see her eyes fill with genuine tears.  She heard their footsteps behind her, but they did not call out.  _Probly to make sure the door is closed behind me_.

                When she grabbed the door handle and turned it, she felt an odd prickle in her hand, like a low electric current, but ignored it and went out.  Instantly she smashed into Rei and they both cried out in pain and surprise.

                "Usagi!  Be careful!"  Rei said in a muffled voice, holding her nose, her eyes watering.  Momoru and Chad were behind her in their best dress.   Usagi just stood there, bewildered and unable to speak while she put a hand to her throbbing head.  Makoto, Ami and Minako were behind her, also unable to speak and baffled.  Then Usagi found her voice.

                "R…Rei…?"  Her mouth and vocals felt stiff.  "Momoru?"

                Rei wiggled her face around and wiped her eyes.  "Oh!  What's that delicious smell?  Wait…Why didn't you wait for me?"  She demanded, hands on hips.

                Ami shook her head.  Her speech felt just as stiff.  "You _are_ two hours late, Rei." She managed to say.

                "We tried calling, but no one answered."  Minako finished, her eyes coming back into focus.

                "So we started on Usagi's cookies," Makoto went on.  "We still have two batches left to bake.  We saved them for you, so don't worry."  She smiled.

                "Are you talking about Usagi's cookie dough?" Chad asked.  "Are you sure it's safe—" he gave out a grunt as Rei elbowed him in the abdomen and gave him a warning look.  "I mean, it smells really good and all.  Are they good?"

                "Yes they are!" Usagi said with pride and wiped the tears from her cheeks. All the harsh feelings were suddenly gone. "We almost ate all of them without you!  So where have you been?"

                "She was coming to get us." Momoru answered with a smile when Rei hesitated.  "Let's go inside.  According to Rei, we still have some time to talk about it."

                "NO!"  All four cooks shouted in unison.  Then they blushed in surprise with themselves and looked nowhere unparticular.  "Uh…why don't we talk about this somewhere else?" Minako suggested with an offhand.

                "Why?"  Chad asked.

                Rei lifted her head from her long hesitation.  "Let's just do it…I can't explain precisely why, but I can explain how we might be able to _find out_ why."  She turned away, everyone following her.

                "Ah!" Makoto exclaimed.  "Everything is still out, and the oven is on, too."  Each girl pointed out something that had been left behind.

                Rei gave out a light sigh and looked at them with dark eyes.  "You have three minutes."  Her voice left no room for question or discussion.  They each stood by the doorway for a length of time before darting in and grabbing purses or hair supplies or makeup while Makoto switched off the oven and grabbed her school bag.  When they returned to the hallway with what they could grab, they "still had time" but had ran so fast in something like fear.  They were shuddering as if their skin had been graced with spider webs when they came out.  Makoto closed the door, ignoring the electric-like current that ran through her fingers as she did.

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                For a while, no one spoke after Rei had revealed her premonition.  They all stood in the gold of sunset.   

_     The Future depends on us, but in a way different from before.  I'd never thought about this, and, I assume, neither had any of you.  Because Chibi-Usa came back from the 30th century, we know that our lives are lengthened by the power of the Silver Crystal, but…it does not make us live for eternity.  And…we also know that Usagi has an heir to her thrown.  But before that, Chibi-Usa is the future Senshi of the Moon.  By then, she will be too young to fight on her own…therefore we will form heirs of our own_.

                "So why now?"  Usagi asked.  "Why not then, when Chibi-Usa is a fighter?  And Chibi-Usa hasn't even happened yet."  At that she glanced at Momoru, then found herself looking at her hands, face beet-red.

                Makoto held up a finger.  "Hasn't it already been decided, like Usagi?  Are we going to have daughters?"

"So, then…what happened in Makoto's apartment?  You said you might have an explanation?"  Ami inquired.  They all leaned in, hoping for a rational answer.

Rei only put a finger to her chin and looked up, searching.  "I don't know, as I said before.  But this premonition plays a part in it.  That I'm sure of."

"Maybe," Makoto put in, "it has to do with us being over with our own battles with the Sailor Alumini and Chaos."  While it was a statement, it almost came out as a question.

_You are correct_.  Came a quiet voice.

The six Warriors of Ice Water, Thunder and Oak, Love and Beauty, Wild Fire, Earth, and Justice turned to the voice.  They faced Setsuna, her being slightly transparent and non interactive with the physical world around her.  She held a simple festive basket with candy, firecrackers and a doll.

_Death summons_.  She said, making no reference to her previous statement.  _Death summons on New Year's night_.  _Will you attend?_  Setsuna's ruby eyes studied them in their response before she faded away.

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                The six Warriors of the Inner Solar System approached the fountain in their disguised form.  All of the Outers but Death were there, sitting on the fountain's rim.  Haruka was calmly watching the orange and pink fireworks above them and listening to the sword on her back.  Michiru looked serenely into her mirror, water reflections illuminating her face while her feet relaxed in the cool water; she now knew why her mirror had rippled.  Finally Setsuna sat on an edge away from them, her talismanic orb pulsing with red light.  She looked up to them as they approached, orange light flaring onto her and her basket from the sky.

                No words were exchanged, they didn't need to be, as the Inners took their own seats.  That's when they saw the silhouette on the cliff behind the others—the figure of a Sailor Senshi and the elegant but deadly curves of the Glaive.

                "You did not have to come."  Saturn said.  Although she was relatively far away, they could all hear her quite clearly.  "Knowing this knowledge will not affect the outcome."

                _Of what?_

                "Of your heirs."  She answered the thoughts of the Inners.  "From the halt of these fireworks to the halt of the next marking the New Year, your actions will determine who, how, and where your heirs will come to cross you in the future.  This time of calm is your opportunity to form the future further before Darkness is once again at hand.  There is no stopping it."  She said, again answering a query from the listeners.  "Life is equally balanced with Death as Good is equally balanced with Evil.  How the balance will tip in the future is based now on you.  The Timekeeper has no age," she said, referring to Setsuna, "therefore she has no heir.  I am Death its self and control my own life, but I still have no heir.  The Princess has already been decided.

"You will be tested," she went on, "as the year passes with significant moments.  You will know what they are by certain means."  Makoto and Usagi instantly thought of the door handle.  "They may be of great importance, but other seemingly insignificant matters affect the outcome as well.  However, these tests are dangerous…because they are created by _you_.  Fare well."

The next glamorous explosion revealed that she was gone.  Setsuna stood, her Talisman gone, and walked over to the Inners.  Then she smiled warmly and handed something from the basket to each of them.  "Happy New Year!"  She said with a bright smile before walking away.  "Get some rest tonight!"

_Yes.  Happy 2003_.  Thought Usagi as she looked down at the doll in her hands.  Then she noticed the change in the air and looked up.  The fireworks had stopped. 


End file.
